When Mum was first referred, we thought a hospice was somewhere people could go to die peacefully. We soon found that, for Mum, the Isabel Hospice offered a way to live. Initially she benefitted from exercise classes, enjoyed the day centre and met the most wonderful nurses. As her illness progressed, she spent time at the inpatient centre for symptom management - however poorly she was when she went in, she always came out feeling so much better. Being in such a caring environment with so many wonderful people giving their time to help her was a huge help mentally and physically.

We lost Mum in November 2019 and I miss her terribly. I feel that I would really like to give back to the Isabel Hospice and I know my mum would be completely behind me. I’ve set my sights on running the marathon on trails, carrying everything I need with me. 

I had also challenged myself to run a half marathon each month during 2021.  This will now form part of my marathon training and will then continue in November and December to complete the year. These challenges will be hard work, but nowhere near as hard as my mum’s final years were for her. I hope I can show the Isabel Hospice a small part of the support they provided for my mum and our family.